Taking Your Company Public — Part I

In the past four months, the North American IPO market has shown some signs of a resurgence, at least in relation to the two years that came before. Given this potential rebound, this edition and the next couple of editions focus on the IPO legal process, together with certain legal aspects related to running a company after its shares are listed on a stock exchange. And while the focus will be on entrepreneurial businesses, much of this commentary applies equally to any type of business looking to go public. But before delving into legalities, first some thoughts on the all-important decision by the controlling shareholder(s): "Do you even want your company to go public?"

Why Go Public?